On Inspiration and Wildmane

Okay, I'm off and runnin'. Two entries in two days. Fair warning, though, this is how I start. I'm an emotional sprinter by nature. It's the marathon where I lag.

Still and all, I was sitting at my computer this morning with a hankering to continue writing on Wildmane, one of my two current novel projects. Before settling in, I decided to check email, facebook and my blog, trying to make it part of my routine to promote my writing.

So this morning, I have decided to give my blog a direction, and it is:

The winding path of novel creation. That's my focus for this blog.

Or at least for today. (Remember the marathon analogy?)

So let's begin at the beginning. Let's talk about inspiration and drive. This is where novels begins. An idea that you just can't let go of. A purpose that grabs you and holds you until you have to write it down. These are the wisps of stories that drift past your conscious mind. These are the characters you've been dreaming about. That smart, sexy CEO in the business suit that you envision yourself dating. That streetwise city kid who's going to take the world by storm and make his impact.

These bubble at the base of the mind. They are the inspiration. And a writer takes to the keyboard, attempting to convey that inspiration accurately.

So now you've got your drive, so what next? It seems that writing is a constant attempt to define dreams into the concrete. From your imaginings into words, and then again from your words into a paycheck.

Thankfully, I have a fantastic agent named Donald Maass (perhaps I'll tell that story in a later blog, for those of you who are interested in such things). This opens up new horizons for a writer. So one of my current driving forces is the fact that, as soon as I have 100 pages of either of my novel projects (Wildmane or Fairmist), I can send it to Donald, and he will try to sell it for me.

After spending 15 years writing for myself and my friends and sending my creations out into the world to strangers who didn't care one bit about my dream of becoming an author, this is hugely exciting. There's someone on the other end, and he wants to see my stuff. The time and energy I pour into my work has a champion.

So, circling back to inspiration again, this adds to my drive. I mean, I'd write stories whether or not anyone listened to them. It adds immeasurable joy to my life, so I'd do it for just for the rush. However, having a quick road to publication whips that inspiration into a frenzy. I must get Wildmane done. And soon. The sooner I can, the sooner my dreams come true.

So, to Wildmane. I'm currently on chapter 5, roughly 40 pages, and things are about to heat up. The world is taking form, the main character Mirolah is finding her voice, and the side characters have pushed her to the cusp.

The sparks are about to fly.

And once they do, sixty more pages will go in a blink and then, the dream of that published book. My words in print.

Ah! Ambrosia.